by Brother - Friday, 7th March 2008 -

Companies could make cash and environmental savings by printing smarter, says Brother.

The average office could save money and cut carbon dioxide emissions by up to two tonnes per year by printing documents more efficiently, according to research from one of Britain’s biggest printer manufacturers.

Brother’s findings reveal that in addition to improving efficiency, offices could save more than the equivalent of a transatlantic flight’s worth of carbon emissions every year if employers introduce new ‘Print Smart’ guidelines.

More than four tonnes of CO2 is emitted in the production of a year’s worth of paper for the average office. This could be slashed by up to 50 per cent if people had proper training on paper usage and printing efficiently.

Brother’s research also dispels the myth of the paperless office; despite the increase in use of electronic documents and the replacement of fax with email, 32 per cent of workers still print documents to proof read and 22 per cent print off their emails, the majority of which are not business critical.

The study also found that only 11 per cent of businesses have a clear printing policy. To help businesses manage their printing and reduce their consumption of paper, Brother has produced a new ‘Print Smart’ guide and a charter that companies can sign up to online in order to demonstrate their commitment to improving office efficiency.

Phil Jones, sales and marketing director for Brother, said: “Increasing efficiency and becoming more sustainable is in the interest of all businesses. By thinking more carefully about how they use their printers, companies can not only save money, but save time for their staff whilst naturally reducing their environmental impact.

“One of the main recommendations we are making is that offices should print in duplex – using both sides of each sheet of paper.

“Our research shows that, only six per cent of employers said their businesses regularly use both sides of the paper when printing. It also revealed that 58 per cent of small businesses don’t have the facility to print on both sides. There are a large number of duplex printers available within the small business price range, and using one of these could substantially reduce the amount of paper being wasted.

“Printer technology has moved on substantially in the past few years and rather than being dumb machines that churn out documents, many printers now include a whole range of features designed to help growing businesses print smarter. From scanning documents straight to email to printing direct from a USB memory stick, the right machine can dramatically increase the functionality of every office and its staff.”

Other suggestions made by Brother’s charter include introducing an office paper recycling scheme (41 per cent of offices still do not have one) and changing employee habits so that documents are printed only when absolutely necessary.

Brother is a leader in its field for environmental and social responsibility and is the only printer manufacturer to have achieved TCO ‘99 accreditation for its laser printers to date.

Phil Jones continued: “As well as cutting carbon emissions, reducing the amount of paper used by offices will also cut the amount of waste paper that ends up in landfill sites. Making printing more efficient is a cheap and easy way for offices to do their bit for the environment.”

To download a copy of the guide, sign up to the charter and start printing smarter www.brother.co.uk/printsmart or call 0845 6060626.

Notes to editors:
Brother survey of UK businesses conducted in association with YouGov.

Ipsos Mori polled 300 businesses across a wide range of sectors in December 2006 and found that companies use around 10,000 sheets per employee per year.
See: http://www.britishgasbusiness.co.uk/bgb_website/pdf/mori-research-booklet.pdf.
It takes around 17Wh of electricity to produce a single sheet of paper, so producing this amount of paper consumes 164kWh per year.
See: http://www.eu-energystar.org/en/en_032c.shtml.
Using the UK average rate of carbon emission for electricity production of 0.44kg of carbon dioxide per kWh (from www.dft.gov.uk), the worker produces 72.16 kg of C02 per year, solely through paper use.
See:http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/environment/research/cqvcf/economicsofbusdrivelines?page=8.
Average UK office size is 66 persons (number of offices from www.communities.gov.uk), so the average office causes 4762kg (4.762 tonnes) of C02 emission per year.
One person flying one-way from Heathrow to NY JFK causes 1.8 tonnes of CO2 to be released into the atmosphere. See: http://www.carbonplanet.com/shop_flight_emissions_calculator

TCO ‘99 – an international standard mark covering requirements within the areas of ergonomics, emissions, energy, and ecology. For full requirements, see www.tcodevelopment.com